Your countdown: 3 months, 1 month and 1 week before leaving

Key rules

• Consulate appointment: Book your visa appointment first, because waits run from weeks to several months.
• Visa decision: Allow one to three months after a complete application, and treat silence as a possible refusal.
• Home lease: Notice on a foreign lease is often one to three months, so check it early.
• Streaming: Streaming services can be cancelled at any time, so leave them to the last week.

Appointment waits, visa decision times, translation times and contract notice terms vary, so confirm them with your consulate, translator and each provider.

3 months before: the slow tasks

Start the tasks that depend on other people's calendars. Late starts here are the ones that move your departure date.

• Book your visa appointment. Waits at Spanish consulates range from weeks to several months, depending on country and season. Busy consulates, such as those in the US, the UK, Morocco, Latin America and India, often have the longest waits. Many appointments run through an outside visa centre. Slots often open in batches and sell out fast, so check the booking page often.
• Order apostilles. An apostille is a stamp that makes a foreign document valid in Spain. Same-day to a few days is common with walk-in or rush services. By post it can take one to several weeks. Documents that first need certified copies, such as a US FBI background check, add weeks.
• Start legalisation if needed. If your country is outside the Hague Convention, you need full consular legalisation instead of an apostille. It takes longer, so begin first.
• Check your home lease. Foreign leases often need one to three months' notice. Read yours now and give notice on time.

1 month before: translations, notice and the visa decision

• Get sworn translations. A sworn translation (traductor jurado) is a translation by a translator officially appointed in Spain. Short documents such as certificates usually take 2 to 5 working days. Long documents and larger batches can take a week or more. Rush service costs extra. Translate after you have your apostilles, because the stamp is part of what gets translated.
• Expect your visa decision. For a complete application, decisions usually come within one to three months, depending on visa type and consulate. Some take longer. If you hear nothing, treat it as a possible refusal and ask the consulate.
• End contracts with notice terms. Phone, internet and TV contracts often have a minimum term of 12 months or more and may charge early-exit fees. Gyms and some subscriptions also need notice. Check each contract's terms and send notice now.
• Plan your home lease exit. If your lease needs one month's notice or more, it should already be given.

1 week before: the short-notice tasks

• Cancel utilities. Electricity, gas and water in Spain can usually be cancelled at short notice with no penalty. Do the same for utilities at home, following your contract.
• Cancel streaming services. You can stop these at any time, so leave them to the end.
• Finish the rest. Work through the leaving-home checklist below: bank, address updates, document copies and passport validity.

Where mistakes cost you

The costly mistakes are a late consulate booking, late lease notice and missed phone contract terms. Everything else can be fixed in days. The planner below lets you work backwards from your own departure date.

Timeline and deadlines

• Book your consulate visa appointment, as slots can be weeks to several months away: 3 months before leaving, or earlier

• Order apostilles, and start consular legalisation if your country is outside the Hague Convention: at least 1 to 3 months before leaving

• Get sworn translations of your documents: after the apostilles, allowing 2 to 5 working days each

• Expect the visa decision, which takes one to three months after a complete application: 1 to 3 months after your appointment

• Cancel streaming services, which you can stop at any time: in your last week

Plan backwards from your departure date

Count back from your departure date in steps of weeks, then move any task that lands on a holiday or in a slow period. Write your date at the top of a page and fill in the right-hand column as you go.

Step 1: Count back with these lead times

These are planning lead times for a typical move, not legal deadlines. Your landlord's notice period is in your contract, so read that first.

Step 2: Check each date for holiday clashes

Offices, banks and movers slow down or close around holidays. For every date you wrote down, check these:

• National holidays. Offices are shut, and a "bridge" day next to a holiday often closes them too.
• Local holidays. Every town has its own, such as a patron saint day. Ask your town hall for the local list.
• Semana Santa (Holy Week). Many offices and businesses run short for several days.
• Christmas to 6 January. Appointments are scarce and movers book up early.
• August. Many offices run with reduced staff and many businesses close for weeks.

If a task lands on one of these, move it earlier, never later. A missed appointment can cost you weeks.

Step 3: Example

Departure on Friday 18 December 2026:

• 23 October: give notice and book movers (8 weeks).
• 20 November: book your last office appointments and start cancelling services (4 weeks).
• 4 December: update your address and confirm the moving date (2 weeks).
• Week of 7 December: Tuesday 8 December is a national holiday, and Monday 7 December may work as a bridge day. Do not plan office visits or deliveries then.
• 11 December: start your final week of cleaning, meter readings and the key handover.

Today is 21 October 2026, so a departure date earlier than about two months from now already leaves you with less than the full lead times. In that case, start with the movers and the office appointments, because they take longest to book.

Documents you need

• Foreign documents for Spanish procedures, stamped with an apostille by the issuing country. Allow same day to a few days with walk-in or expedited services, or one to several weeks by post.

• Documents that first need certified copies or authentication, such as a US FBI background check, before the apostille. This can add weeks.

• Documents from a country outside the Hague Convention, which need full consular legalisation instead of an apostille and take longer.

• Sworn translation (traductor jurado) of documents going to Spanish authorities. Short standard documents take about 2 to 5 working days.

Leaving home checklist for Spain

• Tell your bank you are moving abroad and ask which accounts and cards will keep working from Spain.

• Set up online banking access and card limits so you can reach your money from Spain.

• Cancel or move home subscriptions, utilities, phone contracts and standing orders.

• Update your address with your employer, tax office, insurers and pension providers.

• Check that every passport and travel document is valid for your whole stay, and renew any that are not.

• Gather originals of your ID, birth and marriage certificates, school records and work or income papers.

• Make a paper copy and a secure digital copy of each document you gather.

• Get any official translations or stamps your documents need before you leave home.

• Plan how much cash and which cards you will carry, and check the cash declaration rules for amounts at the border.

• Ask your doctor for a medical summary and for enough regular medicines to cover your first weeks.

• Carry medicines in their original packaging with a prescription or doctor's letter.

• Confirm your flights, first accommodation and any removal or luggage bookings, and keep the confirmations together.

• Arrange mail forwarding and name someone at home who can deal with post and paperwork for you.

What to watch out for

• Silence on your visa can mean refusal: If the consulate does not answer within its period, which is one to three months after a complete application, this is generally treated as a refusal. Contact the consulate before the period ends and keep your plans, lease end and travel dates flexible until you have the decision.

• Early exit charges on phone and internet: Phone, internet and TV contracts often run for a minimum of 12 months or more and can charge a fee if you leave early. Gyms and some subscriptions also have notice terms and penalties. Read the minimum term and notice rules now, and give notice in time or ask to transfer the contract.

• Late notice on your home lease: A lease often needs about 30 days of notice from you, and a foreign lease can need one to three months. Late notice means paying extra rent. Check the notice clause in your lease and send notice in writing once your departure date is firm.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Spanish long-stay visa decision take?

A decision on a long-stay visa usually takes from a few weeks to about three months after your appointment. The official period runs from about one to three months after a complete application, depending on the visa type. If the consulate stays silent after that period, it is generally treated as a refusal.

How far ahead should I book a consulate visa appointment?

Book your consulate visa appointment as soon as you know your plans, because waits often run from weeks to several months. Busy consulates release slots in batches that sell out quickly. Many appointments go through an outsourced visa centre, so check the booking page of the consulate that covers your area.

How long does a sworn translation take?

A sworn translation (traductor jurado) of a short standard document usually takes 2 to 5 working days. Long documents take more time, and a larger batch can take a week or more. Rush options exist at extra cost.

What if my country is not in the apostille system?

If your country is not party to the Hague Convention, your documents need full consular legalisation instead of an apostille, which takes longer. Start these documents first.